Search just our sites by using our customised site search engine



Click here to get a Printer Friendly PageSmiley

Click here to learn more about MyHeritage and get free genealogy resources

Robert Ferguson Scottish settlers monument
A Project by Caledonian Society of Restigouche


Monument Honoring our Scottish Heritage Proposed by the Caledonian Society of Restigouche

The surrounding area that encompasses Campbellton, from as early as 1768 was settled and established by enterprising immigrants from Scotland. Scottish traders George Walker and Hugh Baillie started an establishment near Walkers Brook, trading furs and shipping salted salmon. This location would soon become Campbellton. In 1773 a London merchant John Shoolbred and his agent William Smith bought out all of Walker's lands. This land being where Campbellton is located soon changed hands to Samuel Lee and Shoolbred continued his business on the Quebec side of the Restigouche. Brothers, Robert and John Adams were among the eight men Shoolbred brought here from the Aberdeen area of Scotland. These men along with John Duncan and their families devoted themselves to the salmon fishing industry at Old Church Point, which is the current location of Atholville.

In 1794, a Scotsman from Perth named Alexander Ferguson settled in Martin's Point (now Campbellton), where his brother Robert joined him two years later. In 1805, Alexander Ferguson died and Robert inherited his brother's business, he quickly became the largest merchant and exporter of fish in Restigouche. Until the 1840s, he shipped between 1,200 and 1,400 barrels of salted salmon per year. He became the most important landowner in the region and also operated a flour mill and sawmills that exported hewn wood. Mr. Ferguson constructed his own boats in the village that now bears the name of Atholville. Considered the founder of Restigouche County, Robert Ferguson, in 1812 at Old Church Point, erected an imposing residence and store combined, which was called Athol House, after his birthplace in Scotland. This was "the first estate permanently established on the Restigouche". It soon became the business center of the Restigouche. Athol House property also holds within its bounds the cemetery that protects the remains of so many of the original settlers, including the oldest stone in the cemetery belonging to Robert Adams of Aberdeen, Scotland. New Brunswick became the home for many Scots.

One of New Brunswick and Canada's most famous regiments was "The King's First American Regiment" founded in 1776. It was composed mostly of Highlanders, many of whom fought with their traditional kilts to the sound of the pipes. The regiment distinguished itself when it defeated Washington's forces at the Battle of Brandywine. When it disbanded after the War, most of its members settled in New Brunswick. A continual influx of immigrants from Scotland and Ulster meant that by 1843 there were over 30,000 Scots in New Brunswick. Highlanders and Islanders were highly acclaimed as successful pioneers, being ideally suited to the harsh conditions and privations which had to be endured by the first wave of immigrants. Once established they generally attracted large numbers of followers from their homeland regions.

In the eastern Maritimes the timber trade was the crucial factor which determined where Scots would settle. The fact that so many Scottish Highlanders settled in the eastern Maritimes during the late 1700s and early 1800s is largely attributable to the relative ease with which they could be collected by the many timber ships which were then leaving the Clyde for the Maritimes. Scots had an enormous impact on Canada's early economic and political development and should be regarded as a "founding people". Their influence was immense despite being outnumbered by other ethnic groups. Those immigrants who arrived after 1759 were mainly Highland farmers who had been forced off their crofts (rented land) during the Highland and Lowland Clearances to make way for sheep grazing due to the British Agricultural Revolution. Before 1815, emigration was discouraged, but emigration from Scotland to the Maritime Provinces constituted one of the principal components of the exodus; by 1815 Scots formed one of the three major ethnic groups there. Most of the emigrants were unskilled Highland farmers, who gathered in isolated communities. The Maritimes attracted them because of the opportunity there to be left alone to pursue the traditional way of life; more populated and better organized jurisdictions did not provide this chance.

The names of the beloved towns they left behind in Scotland were instilled here in their new home. The towns surrounding Campbellton ring with the tone of Scotland: Glen Levit, Glencoe, Atholville, Blair Athol, Dundee, Balmoral and Dalhousie. There is nothing in this locality dedicated to these remarkable Scots. What they accomplished for this region so many years ago needs to be honored and remembered. The members of the Caledonian Society of Restigouche are currently fundraising to erect a monument designed by sculptor Darren Byers. The design consists of two cairns with a bronze figure. The figure would be dressed in Traditional Scottish dress. The monument would be pointing to Scotland

See http://restigouchescots.ca/ for more information.


Return to the History of New Brunswick Page

This comment system requires you to be logged in through either a Disqus account or an account you already have with Google, Twitter, Facebook or Yahoo. In the event you don't have an account with any of these companies then you can create an account with Disqus. All comments are moderated so they won't display until the moderator has approved your comment.